Sequester Grounds Blue Angels

SchrodingerZ writes "The Blue Angels squadron, known for their intricate and death-defying aerial demonstrations, has canceled all scheduled air shows for the rest of the year. The United States Navy, which controls the Blue Angels, has reported that the grounding comes from the massive rollbacks in spending, due to the 85 billion dollar sequestration given by the federal government. In a statement from the office of the Commander Naval Air Forces in San Diego, the Navy said, 'Recognizing budget realities, current Defense policy states that outreach events can only be supported with local assets at no cost to the governmen.' Currently, the cost of an air show is above $100,000. This story came just a week after the announcement by the Air Force that their Thunderbird shows will also be canceled."

Local businesses will feel this

[Chewbacon]

My town has 2 Blue Angels shows a year and its huge for business, especially the show on our beach. It's one of the busiest weekends on the beach as people will try to get out there but end up sitting in traffic all day and some miss the show doing it. I hope all businesses who benefit from air shows are coming up with other events to support themselves. I'd actually still go just for a civilian air show (don't get me wrong, the Blues are cool) since you see different planes, pilots and stunts every year.

Sequestration did not cut budget

[therealkevinkretz]

The sequestration portrayed in the press as reckless budget slashing is anything but. In actuality, it's a slightly lower rate of increase.

For 2013, the announced 'sequestration' is $84B in a $3600B budget which is an increase of about $140B over last year's. So by the official numbers, the 'cuts' are actually an increase of ~$56B. To go on, half of that $84B decrease actually doesn't take place until later years but is represented in 2013 via accounting sleight-of-hand. So in the end those crazy sequestration cuts - closing air-traffic towers, grounding the Blue Angels, and ending White House tours - are really a $100B increase over last year.

Re:good.

[Anonymous Coward]

You don't eat in fast food restaurants? You don't have garbage pickup service? You don't shop in big box stores or shopping malls? You never get your oil changed at a mechanic shop? Pretty much any low-skilled labor task you can imagine... I think you'd be surprised how many cheap services from illegal alien labor you (indirectly) use every day.

Re:good.

[Anonymous Coward]

China has begun their own version of SWIFT and starting on Sept 6th, 2012, announced to the world that anyone who wants to buy or sell oil may use the Renminbi/Juan instead of the US Dollar. So far, Russia, Iran, and Saudi Arabia have begun to use this system when selling oil to China. More and more countries are dropping the USD for the Renminbi/Juan when trading with China and others. After Obama's disasterous meeting in Cambodia in Nov of 2012 which Asian/Oceanus countries told him that the US will not be invited into their economic block, they voted to drop the US Dollar when trading among themselves. That's 48% of the world's population and 18% of the world's GDP that just dropped the US Dollar. Japan, Chile, and the rest of the BRICS nations have dropped the US Dollar when trading with China. Official US inflation is set to go to 3%-4% by the end of this year as the unwanted and unused US Dollars begin to come home to roost. If the Muslim Brotherhood ever achieve a take over in the Gulf States, how long will they use the US Dollar as their petro currency? Not long, I would wager as they know that is the knife in Great Satan's soft underbelly.

Re:good.

[jacknifetoaswan]

Going to airshows and military installations as a kid inspired me to try to go to the Naval Academy, in the hopes that I could fly. As it turned out, I couldn't get the Congressional appointment that's required, and it's nigh on impossible to fly if you didn't go to a service academy, so here I am, building weapons systems for the military to use, rather than actually using them.

They're a great recruiting tool, and they help to inspire legions of young men and women to join the armed forces when they're older.

Re:good.

[jacknifetoaswan]

The flyovers are typically done as part of routine training hours flights. Pilots and their air crews are required to spend a minimum number of hours in the air, to keep up with their training requirements. This includes fighter pilots, as well as bomber and cargo aircraft pilots. That's why sometimes you'll get a formation of F-16s, and sometimes it'll be a lone B-52. The flyovers might be 1/100th of what a typical training flight would include.

Re:good.

[Bill_the_Engineer]

He didn't travel. So there's a shit load of savings right there.

I love the distortion too. No mention that it is part of the "In performance at the White House" program has been around since 1978 and airs on PBS and American Forces Network nor that "Corporate funding for this program is provided by Pepsi-Cola. Foundation support is provided by The Annenberg Foundation and the Anne Ray Charitable Trust. Major funding is also provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, PBS and public television viewers. Support programming like In Performance at The White House through your local PBS station."

Re:good.

[phlinn]

Forgot to add: even with the sequester, total federal outlays are projected to be larger in 2013 than they were in 2012. I really get tired of DC pretending reductiong in future growth are the same as actual cuts.